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Another driver asleep on Croydon Tramlink

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maniacmartin

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As reported by the BBC

BBC said:
'Sleeping' Croydon tram driver footage probed

First Group said a staff member had been suspended pending the outcome of its investigation

A Croydon tram driver has been suspended as part of an inquiry into video footage that appears to show a driver falling asleep at the controls. The clip, captured on a passenger's mobile phone on Wednesday, was sent to the Evening Standard newspaper.

The video was recorded three stops from the site of the 9 November derailment in Croydon that left seven people and 51 injured.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was "absolutely furious" about the footage.
In the 20-second clip, a driver - who is not the one involved in last year's fatal crash - appears to be sleeping while the tram is waiting at lights. When the lights changed, he failed to move off.

A commuter told the Evening Standard the driver was asleep for several minutes and people resorted to banging on the window to wake him up. He is seen bent over and breathing heavily with his hands still on the controls.

Mr Khan said he was sure Londoners would be "as shocked as he was" about the incident, and called for an immediate investigation.
"I have spoken to the chief executive of First Group, who operate the trams, to make my feelings crystal clear. "This comes just six months after the tragic incident in Croydon which left seven people dead and more than 50 injured. "Bereaved families and survivors will be appalled by this video."

A Transport for London spokesman said it had asked operators First Group to take all necessary action to ensure they are dealing with driver tiredness.

First Group said a driver had been suspended pending the outcome of its investigation.
Following the 2016 derailment, four drivers told the BBC that they had fallen asleep while operating trams in Croydon.

An interim crash report found the crashed tram had been travelling at 43.5mph in a 12mph zone and found no evidence of any track defects or obstructions. The driver was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and is currently on bail.
 
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AndyY

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Fortunately the driver fell sleep when the tram was stationery.
Is there any reason why tram drivers fall asleep more often than bus drivers, say? Could it have something to do with the shift hours they work?
 

ComUtoR

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So you see a the Driver of your Tram asleep and the first thing you reach for is your phone :shock:

You sit there filming and swearing about it rather than knock on the glass and wake him up :rolleyes:

What has this world come to.
 

zaax

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could have een a medical problem why didn't they call an ambulance?
 

Johncleesefan

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I would think the difference is the boredom. Busses need steering are require more focus to drive and more physical energy, ie body movement. And bus drivers interact with the punters too
 

Clip

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So you see a the Driver of your Tram asleep and the first thing you reach for is your phone :shock:

You sit there filming and swearing about it rather than knock on the glass and wake him up :rolleyes:

What has this world come to.

Actually I think its important that this was captured for a significant period of time and not just a 5 second clip as it couldve been disputed. And as the story says people did end up knocking on the glass.
 

ScotGG

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All seems very odd. Anyone know of similar with tram systems abroad, elsewhere in the UK or in the past when the UK had a widespread network?

My first thought was are they uber drivers on the side. I've seen this is in other jobs.
 

bradders1983

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All seems very odd. Anyone know of similar with tram systems abroad, elsewhere in the UK or in the past when the UK had a widespread network?

My first thought was are they uber drivers on the side. I've seen this is in other jobs.

Quite sure tram drivers would have fallen asleep in the past, however we now live in a modern age with the Internet, mobile phones etc... and things like this are reported and spread rather quickly.
 

FileTrekker

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It always seems to be Croydon hitting the headlines for this lately though.

This is the second time since the fatal accident a driver has been filmed asleep at the controls.

Knowing First Group, staff will be rostered with insufficent rest periods between shifts or wildly varying shift patterns, and even with the minimum 11 hours between shifts, I can tell you from experience that extreme shift work causes this sort of fatigue.

Staff need to be on stable, well planned rosters with appropriate rest periods and sleep adjustment periods. I can guarantee they probably aren't.
 

al78

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So you see a the Driver of your Tram asleep and the first thing you reach for is your phone :shock:

You sit there filming and swearing about it rather than knock on the glass and wake him up :rolleyes:

What has this world come to.

Where does it say that was the first thing anyone did?
 

AlterEgo

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I certainly wouldn't be filming this if I had seen it. I actually wondered from the footage whether he was having a medical incident.
 

BestWestern

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Placeholder for an article from his union backing him to the hilt....

Given the daming review of the way Tramlink is being run that has come from their own staff, I rather suspect his union will back him to the hilt. Didn't they suspend another bloke who was filmed asleep? Maybe they'll address the issues before they end up suspending the entire workforce.

If one person is found asleep on the job, and there are personal issues behind it, and they haven't addressed those issues correctly, then it may be appropriate to take disciplinary action of some sort. When you have drivers falling asleep left right and centre, you've had a fatal accident because of it, and it's still happening, then you have a management issue.
 

43096

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Actually I think its important that this was captured for a significant period of time and not just a 5 second clip as it couldve been disputed. And as the story says people did end up knocking on the glass.

True. But the responsible thing to do is send it to Tramlink rather than get your 15 minutes of fame by sending it to the local rag.
 

Robertj21a

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Given the daming review of the way Tramlink is being run that has come from their own staff, I rather suspect his union will back him to the hilt. Didn't they suspend another bloke who was filmed asleep? Maybe they'll address the issues before they end up suspending the entire workforce.

If one person is found asleep on the job, and there are personal issues behind it, and they haven't addressed those issues correctly, then it may be appropriate to take disciplinary action of some sort. When you have drivers falling asleep left right and centre, you've had a fatal accident because of it, and it's still happening, then you have a management issue.

Quite agree. It's not as if this is just some trivial situation that First can try to brush under the carpet. A number of people have been killed already, how many more have to die or be injured before something more tangible is done ?
 

SA_900

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BestWestern

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Should be prosecuted and receive a custodial sentence if convicted. Appalling

I really think you need to do some reading of what has been revealed since the fatal accident. Tramlink's drivers are struggling with what appears to be a significant fatigue issue. They'll also be monitored by attendance and performance regimes, and be concerned with the need to stay employed and feed their families. It isn't as simple as one person being reckless here. Tramlink has management, they need to be managing. That extends beyond just routinely suspending drivers when they regularly fall asleep.
 
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SA_900

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DarloRich

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I really think you need to do some reading of what has been revealed since the fatal accident. Tramlink's drivers are struggling with what appears to be a significant fatigue issue. They'll also be monitored by attendance and performance regimes, and be concerned with the need to stay employed and feed their families. It isn't as simple as one person being reckless here. Tramlink has management, they need to be managing. That extends beyond just routinely suspending drivers when they regularly fall asleep.

don't let logic or a desire to seek out facts via an investigation get in the way of a good rant. What if it turns out this chap has un diagnosed narcolepsy or sleep apnea?
 

BestWestern

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We prosecute lorry drivers operating in a similarly difficult environment. For me - unless there are some truly extraordinary extenuating circumstances - this is about as serious as it gets

There is such a thing as a 'culture'. Management are aware of the issues (or they damn well should be) and will be expected to have acted to deal with them. As an aside, if this driver was indeed prosecuted the trams would grind to a halt overnight. Any driver feeling remotely fatigued would be refusing to go any further, and the rail network would likely follow. Be careful what you wish for.
 

DarloRich

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There is such a thing as a 'culture'. Management are aware of the issues (or they damn well should be) and will be expected to have acted to deal with them. As an aside, if this driver was indeed prosecuted the trams would grind to a halt overnight. Any driver feeling remotely fatigued would be refusing to go any further, and the rail network would likely follow. Be careful what you wish for.

then the oiks could be sacked and replaced by more pliable people who understand the value of red bull and subservience. ;)
 

Antman

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So you see a the Driver of your Tram asleep and the first thing you reach for is your phone :shock:

You sit there filming and swearing about it rather than knock on the glass and wake him up :rolleyes:

What has this world come to.

The tram was stationary at the time.
 

Antman

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Quite sure tram drivers would have fallen asleep in the past, however we now live in a modern age with the Internet, mobile phones etc... and things like this are reported and spread rather quickly.

I think you've hit the nail on the head there and the tragic accident has undoubtedly focused more attention on drivers.
 

Antman

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It always seems to be Croydon hitting the headlines for this lately though.

This is the second time since the fatal accident a driver has been filmed asleep at the controls.

Knowing First Group, staff will be rostered with insufficent rest periods between shifts or wildly varying shift patterns, and even with the minimum 11 hours between shifts, I can tell you from experience that extreme shift work causes this sort of fatigue.

Staff need to be on stable, well planned rosters with appropriate rest periods and sleep adjustment periods. I can guarantee they probably aren't.


Isn't that a bit of a contradiction?

I suspect it has nothing to do with shift patterns and more to do with the monotony of the job. Driving a motor vehicle requires a lot more attention.
 
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